Low unemployment has resulted in a limited pool of employable individuals to fill service industry/entry level positions, forcing employers to hire individuals that historically they would never have given a second look, e.g., individuals having special needs. Such individuals can include welfare recipients, ex-offenders, the disabled, homeless, veterans, etc. This has created demand for an efficient method and system for recruiting, training and placing individuals having “special needs” in jobs.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), as of August 2000 there were approximately 5.6 million unemployed (non-retired, adults, in need of work) individuals, a good number of whom fit the definition of “special needs.” Of the employed population, BLS indicates that in 1996 almost 54 million people worked in low-skill occupations, which represents 40% of all individuals employed in the United States. Over time, individuals having “special needs” will be an overwhelming representative of the pool of available labor to fill these jobs due to an extended period of low unemployment. In order to fill these jobs vacancies and retain employees, employers, agencies, and on-line posting services will be forced to alter their current recruitment and training practices.
Current programs initiated towards addressing employing individuals having “special needs” fail to account for an individual's physical health, behavioral health, social needs and educational preparedness for a specific job placement. Moreover, these systems are neither consistent nor technically advanced. Furthermore, these systems do not address the individual's social needs, such as, health benefits, personal interests, family responsibilities (day care/elder care), transportation, physical and psychosocial barriers. Rather, these programs only concentrate on an individual's present condition, education, training, and experience and do not consider the individual's potential as a result of realistic rehabilitation and training programs to help an individual to meet his or her ultimate potential.